


Off the Jungle Path

by dramaticbanjo



Category: Inazuma Eleven GO, ハピネスチャージプリキュア! | HappinessCharge PreCure!, プリキュア | PreCure | Pretty Cure Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-05-25
Packaged: 2018-04-01 07:05:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4010458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dramaticbanjo/pseuds/dramaticbanjo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Freed from the constant battle with the Saiarks, the Cures explore space and land on a teeming jungle planet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just what is a Muaka?
> 
> We just don't know.

It wasn’t like Red’s planet—desolate and sad—but it wasn’t like Earth either. The trees stretched far above them, having more in common with mountains than the terrestrial trees the Pretty Cures were used to.   
Blue had told them there were many planets with inhabitants they could meet, and in only a thought and a flash of light, they had gone, laughing and smiling as they flew past stars and comets. Then they had landed, staring at the giant trees in awe, Hime jumping slightly as a butterfly the size of a dog flew past them, uninterested in the visitors.   
“Look at this!” Yuko had stepped ahead, leaning forward to inspect a cluster of bright flowers, each the size of her palm, “They’re so beautiful…” She took another half step towards them, before Iona suddenly leapt forward and pulled her back. The deceptively soft looking petals snapped shut with surprisingly ferocity, leaving pointed looking bulbs a few inches from where Yuko’s face had been.  
“Be careful!” The purple Cure cautioned, releasing Yuko’s arm so the other girl could straighten up next to her, “We’re in a jungle—if its even a little like Earth, then too many of the things here can be dangerous.” Hime shivered, watching the flowers reopen, waiting for less perceptive prey. “Maybe we should’ve picked a different planet, Megumi.” The princess said quietly, “Megumi?” Her friend was still looking up at the trees, squinting slightly like she was trying to see past the layers of interwoven braches and leaves, “Megumi? Is something wrong?”  
“I…I thought I saw something up in the trees.” Megumi frowned, “Where did it go?”  
“It might have moved on.” Iona answered, “A lot of things live in jungles—we probably won’t see a lot of them, since they’ll blend in with the trees.” Hime shivered again, glancing from side to side as the foliage around them rustled, the sounds of animals in the distance, but at the same time seeming very close.   
Taking a step closer to each other, Megumi swallowed once, and then started to lead the way through the underbrush, pushing leaves out of the way as they moved forward.  
“I hope there aren’t giant mosquitoes here…” Hime mumbled behind her, “That would be the worst.” Further behind her, Yuko giggled, “I’m sure there isn’t.” She assured the shorter girl, “We’re on a different planet, remember?”  
“Then why did that thing before look like a butterfly?” Hime glanced up in time to see another one of its kind flew lazily overhead. Bringing up the rear, Iona made a thoughtful noise; “It could’ve just evolved that way, and we only think it looks like a butterfly because we’re from Earth.” With one last nervous glance up at the alien, Hime hurried her steps to keep closer to Megumi.   
It was around the third time that Yuko almost tripped over a raise tree root that the brush started to clear little by little, and when they stepped into a clear patch to rest, Iona was frowning, dark eyes darting around the trees.  
“…Something did this.”  
“Did what?” Megumi asked her serious friend, knowing that Iona’s instincts were not something to be ignored, “Did you see something?”  
“This clearing—its no coincidence that it’s a perfect place to stop and rest. Something cleared the leaves and flowers from this area on purpose.” Hime froze mid stretch with her eyes wide, “Y-you mean, there’s aliens here?”  
“It wouldn’t be unusual.”   
“Would we be able to understand them if we met them?” Yuko asked curiously, crossing her legs at her ankles as she sat on a moss covered root. That made Iona think for a moment, before snapping her fingers and pulling out her Mirror, “These—my sister told me that she met other Precures and they could understand each other perfectly fine. There’s something in it that lets understand people.”  
On reflex, the other three pulled out their own Mirrors, “They can do that?” Yuko sounded impressed, holding hers up to the light, “Amazing!”   
“If the aliens don’t want to—eat us or something.” Hime shivered, and Megumi patted her shoulder, “That’s only in movies, Hime. They’re not going to eat us.”   
“Maybe they would like some rice to eat instead!” Yuko added, making her giggle, and after a moment, all three of them were laughing at the image of aliens cooing over Yuko’s special lunch boxes. Iona valiantly tried to keep her serious expression, but the twitch of a smile on her lips gave her own amusement away.   
Hime was still giggling slightly when they started moving again, “Maybe those flowers would be happy if you gave them a lunch box, Yuko!”  
“But I would have to feed them—they don’t have hands to hold chopsticks!” Their giggling was cut off as Hime squeaked, almost running into Megumi’s back as she stopped short, “What?!”  
“Sorry, but there’s…something up ahead.” Megumi said hesitantly, moving forward again, but more cautiously, placing each foot down carefully so she wouldn’t rustle the leaves. Following her lead, the other Cures spread out so they were in longer in a straight line, ducking behind leaves and bushes as they crept closer to what appeared to be another cleared area. With a nod to her teammates, Megumi pushed away the last leaf to see what was there, and then stopped short, her mouth falling open. The clearing lead to the base of a tree, so large that it made the forest around them seem small, stretching far into the sky. Around its trunk, seemingly grazing, were large, shaggy animals, heavy antlers on their head, and carefully curled claws on their paws. A long, anteater-like muzzle carefully nuzzled through the bushes and a few of the creatures stretched up to nibble through low branches of trees.   
“What…what are those? They look like…” Iona trailed off, both not expecting an answer and not knowing how to finish her sentence. Hime squeaked and darted to the side as one of the creatures stuck its tube-like mouth into the foliage near her hiding place. If it had noticed her, it gave no sign, apparently unconcerned with beings so much smaller than it.   
Yuko was the first to step forward out of the bushes, despite Hime’s warning hisses, and the alien creatures largely ignored, the few near her snorting and going back to grazing.   
“Don’t make any sudden moves or loud noises, and keep calm, and they’re fine.” Yuko said after a minute of studying them, “They won’t be bothered about smaller things like us.” The one that had surprised Hime out of her hiding place warbled as it found a speckled fruit in one of the trees, ignoring the girls as they edged out of the trees. Megumi stared at them in awe, “…They’re huge!”  
“They look fluffy!” Hime added, watching one further into the herd shake its fur, smaller bird-like creatures flying off of its heavy pelt, “What do you think they’re called?”   
“They…they seem to be a little like elephants.” Iona mused, “They’re so big that not a lot of things bother them, even though they look like herbivores.” Another one of the creatures let out a throaty warble, shuffling in place to reveal a smaller one by its side, making Hime gasp, “It’s a baby one!”  
“Don’t get too close to it.” Iona cautioned before she could move, “They’re calm now, but they probably won’t like it if something might hurt its young.” The idea of the docile giants turning violent was enough to making Hime stop, but she continued watching the mother reach up into the trees to pull down a branch so its young could reach the leaves. While the other girls watched them graze, Iona turned back to the trees, her eyes narrowing at the thick brush. Something made her skin prickle in warning, but her eyes weren’t enough to see past the profusion of color and foliage.   
A sudden, loud trumpet-like cry made her whirl back to face the herd as Hime clapped her hands over her ears. At another side of the clearing, another one of the alien creatures emerged from the trees, shaking its set of antlers as it let out another cry, pawing at the ground with its claws. Megumi took a step back, drawing closer to the others, “What’s going on?” Iona opened her mouth to answer, or at least offer some idea, when another cry cut her off. Another creature had stepped out of the herd, shaking its antlers in response to the other, mimicking the scratching at the ground. Iona squinted for a moment, studying them, before her eyes widened, “We have to get out of the way—I think they’re going to have a territory fight.”  
“A what?” Hime asked worriedly, already shuffling backwards from the herd, which was slowly gaining interest in the two roaring rivals.   
“Those two are going to fight, I think, and we need to get away because it will probably agitate the rest of them.” The two creatures charged at each other, locking antlers with a sharp sound, snarling and screeching as they tried to claw at the other’s thick skin. The rest of the herd let out their own noises, stomping on the ground as the two fought, making the Cures quickly pull back to the trees.   
Back in the relative safety of the dense foliage, they watched the shapes of the animals move faster, spurred on by the energy of the fight. “We’re going to have to go around them.” Iona said finally, making Yuko look at her quizzically, “…I got a feeling something was…strange about that tree in the middle.”  
“I felt it too.” Megumi confirmed, “It might be nothing but…it seemed like the tree was watching us.” Hime winced as a vicious cracking sound echoed from the clearing. One of the creatures had gotten the best of the other, and had broken their antlers, it seemed, “Then…let’s go.” She said in a small voice, and they all nodded, starting to move away from the sounds of the fight. 

More of the bright flowers that had tried to snap at Yuko grew up the sides of trees, and fern-like plants curled when Megumi pushed them out of the way. Somewhere up in the trees, there was the constant sound of what were almost birdcalls, and Iona’s eyes kept darting from shadow to shadow.  
“Is something wrong, Iona?” Megumi asked, pausing for a moment. The dark haired girl shook her head, “I’m just keeping an eye out.” Hime let out a sigh, “There’s too many giant bugs here, and flowers tried to eat Yuko! That’s already a lot of things to keep an eye out for!” She sat down heavily on a root, only to shriek as something hissed sharply near her hand. What had appeared to be a lump of wood and moss wriggled and raised its head, revealing itself as a snake-like animal, larger than a car on Earth, chittering and hissing at the girls as it stood on crab-like legs.   
“Run!” Iona yelled, moving at almost blinding speed to pull Hime away as the creature lunged, its fangs snapping around nothing as the Cures leapt to low branches. Hissing in frustration at its prey escaping, the alien suddenly started up the trunk of the tree in a combination of crawling and slithering, making Hime jump to Megumi’s side fearfully, “Its still coming! What the heck is it?”  
“Something dangerous—stay back, I’ve got this.” Iona was already moving as she spoke, light purple colored stars appearing around her fist, “Once its down, we’ll run back towards the clearing—it probably won’t approach those other animals.” Megumi nodded, stepping forward to back up Iona against the snake-creature. It hissed, twisting its body to lunge towards her, and Iona smoothly dodged, cartwheeling over its jaws to slam her powered up fist onto the top of its head, “Now! Everyone, move!” The Cures broke for the clearing, with Iona bringing up the rear.  
Screeching and hissing, the snake-creature shook its head before shakily giving chase, crawling and jumping across the branches with surprising ease.   
“Why is it following us?” Hime yelled, “Why is it trying to eat us?”  
“It probably thinks we look like tasty pieces of rice!” Yuko reasoned, “Even though it doesn’t know what a human is!”  
“I never want to hear ‘rice’ and that thing in the same sentence!” Hime’s voice raised a pitch, and she ran faster, blue streaks of energy crackling around her, “And we can’t hit it with Precure attacks?!”  
“Its an animal—its just looking for food!” Megumi answered, rolling to the side and continuing to move as the creature tried to snap at her, “it’d be wrong to hurt it over something like that!”  
“If it doesn’t eat us first!” Hime shot back, picking up her pace until she suddenly ran out of branches beneath her feet. With an echoing scream, she fell, her speed carrying her in an arc that ended with one of the herd creature’s furry back. Landing heavily on it, the herbivorous alien let out a low noise, shuffling in a circle as it attempted to see what had landed on its back. Up in the tree, Yuko managed to stop short, balanced on the edge of a branch, until Megumi, who was looking behind her at their pursuer, solidly hit her in the back. Both of the Cures went tumbling into the clearing, and landing in the tall grass in a heap. Iona back flipped away from the predator, activating her wigs midair and hovering above the clearing as the snake-alien broke cover, snarling and hissing as it charged after her.   
After its prey escaping, and being hit so hard it in the head that it was still seeing double if it tried to concentrate on one thing for too long, the snake creature was angry—angry and hungry, and it paid no attention to where it was running. So focused it was on catching Iona, that it didn’t realize it was on the weakest branches until they cracked ominously. Furiously attempting to back pedal on its many legs, long tail thrashing, it screeched as it crashed to the ground, making the larger herd animals bellow in shock and alarm. As one reared up on its hind legs, Hime yelped, hanging onto its back as it shook its antlers at the fallen predator, which was snarling and baring its fangs.   
From her place in the air, Iona could almost see what would happen before it did—the herd animals suddenly panicked, trumpeting and starting to move, keeping the young away from the predator while others started to charge it, antlers lowered.   
“Megumi! Yuko! Get out of the way!” The pink and yellow Cures had their arms around each others’ shoulders, helping each other up, and Megumi nodded, running out of the way. Iona dove down to grab Hime, who was holding on as her mount reared and stomped around the clearing, and its alarm was quickly spreading to the rest of the herd.   
Suddenly, a sharp whistle tore through the air, making the animal twist as if to look at something unseen, dislodging Hime and throwing her to the ground. She landed with a squeak that was lost among the chaotic noises of the herd, and then rolled to her feet, trying to follow Megumi around the moving claws and bodies of the animals. Focusing on her friend on the ground, she attempted to change direction mid-flight, and Iona saw the shake of the creature’s head too late. The heavy antlers slammed into her, sending her flying to the other side of the clearing, when another sharp whistle sounded, and something swung down from the trees with the grace of a monkey on Earth, grabbing her before she hit the solid wood of the trees.   
Iona looked up at her rescuer, and had to bite back a scream. Her eyes met the polished surface of a wooden mask, expertly carved to resemble the herd creatures below. They wore simple armor that looked like a shell on top of plain, dark clothes, and held onto a vine in one hand. They adjusted their course and landed on a sturdy branch and let go of her, and Iona instinctively fell into a fighting stance. They regarded her for a moment, before turning back to the herd and whistled again, drawing it out with a warbling note, and then jumping down on one of the animal’s back. From her perch on the tree, Iona stared in amazement as they hopped from back to back, seemingly unhindered by the large mask or the mane attached to it, before climbing onto one of the animal’s antlers, looking down at the snake-like predator, which was struggling to its feet. A clicking sound from the masked rescuer, and more figures like them seeming dropped from the trees, each wearing similar armor and masks. The snake-creature now knew it was out numbered, and started to edge back into the jungle, hissing and snapping at the larger herd beasts as the first masked figure balanced on the creature’s antlers, watching the predator disappear into the foliage from behind the mask.   
Iona only let out her held breath when she saw Megumi and Yuko being helped up to the trees by another masked person, and Hime onto a separate branch by a third one. The rest of the group circled around the herd, letting loose clicks and whistles that slowly seemed to calm them down.   
When they seemed to no longer be in danger of stampeding, Iona was making her way back to her team, keeping sight of the one in the mask that had rescued her as she moved. Hime looked shaken, and grabbed onto Megumi’s arm as soon as she could, “I-I don’t like this planet!”  
“That was a very close call…” Yuko’s expression was serious, but it turned curious as she looked over to the masked group, which was keeping their own distance from the animals.  
All of them but the one that had rescued Iona, who was still perched on the antlers of one, watching the herd return to grazing peacefully. Megumi tilted her head to the side, “Who are they? Do they own this herd?”  
“I don’t think so—but they live here, and they saved us and them.” Iona answered, watching the leader—at least, that’s what she thought they seemed like—jump off of the antlers and easily swing to the branches near them. Leaves gently fell from above them as they landed, straightening up and regarding them again.   
Swallowing her nervousness, Megumi managed to smile, “Thank you for saving us.” That seemed to surprise them, as if they hadn’t expected her to speak. Another climbed up beside the leader, their armor a reddish-brown, and it looked as if strands of their own hair escaped from under the mane on their mask.  
“Stag…what are they?” They muttered to their leader, voice low, but surprisingly clear, making the Cures glance at each other.   
“I don’t quiet know, Longa.” The leader, Stag, said back in a low voice, “They didn’t know about the Gusfii herd, and they didn’t know about the Lohrak either…”  
“Are they from another village?” Longa was studying them, and Megumi stepped forward, keeping her smile open and harmless, “We’re from Earth.” Both Stag and Longa seemed surprised again, and even more so that she had understood them, and after a moment, Stag stepped forward to meet her, “…Earth.” He said it slowly, “What village is that?”  
“Its not a village, it’s another planet!” Hime piped up from behind Megumi. Behind Stag, Longa let out an impressed click, “That explains why they approached the Gusfii and tried to outrun a Lohrak.” Stag nodded, partially to what the other said, and partially to himself. He turned, and made a gesture to the Cures, “Follow me—I’ll take you to our village.”


	2. Ratoniik Provides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just what is a Lohrak?
> 
> All we know is:  
> its very ugly.

Stag and his group led them higher through the layer of trees, climbing up trunks and vines with deceptive ease, while Megumi and the other scrambled up the bark, hesitant to use their Pretty Cure powers on another planet and surrounded by aliens. Behind the other three, Iona kept her gaze on Stag, eyes narrowed as she studied him. It wasn’t in her nature to trust easily, especially in a place where they knew nothing about what was around them, even if Megumi thought their rescuers were friendly.   
Beside Stag, Longa’s mask rustled as he turned his head to look back at their guests, “That one with the sharp eyes is still looking at you.” His voice was barely a whisper, making sure that the strangers would not over hear them a second time, “She’s still looking for a fight?”  
“Just cautious about us. She’s got warrior instincts.” Longa made an amused click, “Of course that’s what impresses you.”  
“Are you implying something, Longa?”  
“Nothing at all.” Stag snorted at his old friend’s obvious amusement, and climbed ahead to a level where the thicker branches had been smoothed down to form a road through the jungle, “Come on!” He yelled to the rest of the company, “Where there’s one Lohrak, there’s another.” Next to her, Hime shivered, and one of the masked figures, this one so small their head only came up to Hime’s waist, giggled. Ignoring that, Stag continued moving, keeping his balance effortlessly on the smooth wood and growing moss, before starting to climb a set of stairs carved into the side of the tree. Longa, recognizable by his redder armor, stepped off the pathway to swing slowly by on a vine, watching the Precures hesitantly follow Stag up the narrow steps, while the rest of the masked group easily hopped from step to step, chittering and giggling around them. In contrast, Stag was silent.   
At the top of the steps was a platform made from a hollowed out trunk and branches that had grown so close together they had begun to meld together, and planks of wood created a sturdy deck on top of it. At the end of the platform, there was a system of ropes and a boat that hung from sturdy vines, made to travel along the zip lines through the jungle.   
Hime stared at it, “We have more to go?” She asked incredulously, and some of the masked warriors laughed, “It’s the fastest way to get around Ratoniik.” The short warrior next to Hime said, “Unless you like vine-swinging all the way up the tree.”  
“Up the tree…?”  
“The big tree that the Gusfii were grazing around—inside is another whole forest, and it protects our village.” Longa’s serious voice cut in, and he dropped of his vine to land in front of them, “Creatures like the Lohrak—and worse—can’t get in.” He gestured at the boat, “Its sturdy, if that’s what you’re wondering.”   
As there really wasn’t any sort of choice, the Cures climbed in, with Hime freezing in place when it rocked too noticeably, before sitting next to Megumi and holding onto her arm. Behind them Iona sat next to Yuko, watching a few of the masked members of the group join them, while the rest jumped into the trees, grabbing vines and branches to started climbing towards the gigantic tree in the center of the clearing. Two of the largest aliens pushed the boat off and the pulleys took over, sending it down the zip lines.   
Hime clung to Megumi’s arm like she might fall off, her nerves not at all helped by the way the aliens in the boat laughed and whooped excitedly. Despite keeping a grip on the side, Yuko’s expression was serene, and she smiled at Iona, blond hair blowing past her face as they almost flew through the jungle. Iona privately noticed her friend’s ponytail also hitting the warrior behind her directly in their masks eyeholes.   
Suddenly, the ride stopped, and Iona had to reach out and quickly grab onto Yuko and the bench to avoid being flung forward. Around them, the warriors grabbed vines around the other platform to bring the craft to a stop, jumping out to haul it down to the landing area. This new platform was carved into the side of the giant tree, creating a tunnel through the ancient wood to the hidden forest in the center. There was only their rescuers’ group around them, but Iona could feel the pressure of hidden eyes watching their movements.   
Megumi was first of them to leave their transport, holding out her hand so Hime could shakily follow her, the blue haired girl still shivering from their ride over. After her, Yuko hopped off, a cheerful smile on her face as she thanked the members of the masked group closest to her on the dock. Behind their masks, they laughed good-naturedly.   
The last to descend, Iona gave them a nod, and from the way a few of the masks bobbed, she assumed they had nodded back, before joining her friends away from the edge of the platform. Both Megumi and Yuko were looking around, interested at the change in surroundings, while Hime appeared to still be regaining her bearings.   
“Isn’t it exciting?” Yuko asked her, “We’re going to see their village—an alien village!”  
“At least we’re not going to get eaten by that snake-thing…” Hime muttered, mostly to herself, “I don’t like that part of the jungle.” While the yellow Cure patted her friend’s shoulder consolingly, Iona turned slightly to watch Stag and the rest of the aliens drop from the trees to the platform. He appeared to be conferring something with Longa, and a few of the others returned back into the trees at his word, heading into the tree and presumably towards their village.   
Finally, Stag walked towards them, reaching behind his head to unfasten his mask, and stopped in front of them as he pulled it off, the others doing the same around them. Behind Iona, Hime made a small noise of surprise, echoed by Megumi and Yuko, while the purple Cure fought to keep her expression from changing like theirs; Red had been an alien but indistinguishable from humans, but Stag and his group were almost the opposite, resembling insects of different types.   
“So, strangers of Earth, how did you come to Ratoniik?” He asked, pale eyes studying them from under a shell like crest. With a glance at her friends, Megumi stepped forward, “We—we flew…on our world, we’re called Pretty Cure. We’re warriors to protect Earth.” A few of the other aliens nodded to themselves like they understood, although Iona supposed the idea of chosen protectors was hardly an exclusive concept.  
Longa nudged Stag with his elbow, “Do you think they have…?” He trailed off, but Stag obviously knew what he was referring to, and minutely shook his head, although Iona couldn’t tell if it was because he said no or because he didn’t want to discuss it in front of them.   
“What do you think they mean?” Hime whispered to Iona, watching Megumi hold out her hand to Stag, “Do they have Pretty Cure here too?”  
“If they did, they would’ve known what we are.” Iona answered in a low tone, “They don’t, but I think they might have something similar…”   
Meanwhile, after studying her offered hand for a moment, Stag, slightly awkwardly took it with his, “I am Stag Kwatta—I’m head of the village.” He gestured at Longa, who gave them a nod, “This is Longa Kamicula. He’s my second in command.” He released her hand, and Megumi smiled brightly, “I’m Cure Lovely—this is Cure Princess, Cure Honey, and Cure Fortune.” She gestured to each of them in turn, and Yuko smiled, Hime managed a wave, and Iona gave them a nod, “Nice to meet you!”   
“Is that what the children of Earth say when they meet new villages for the first time?” The small alien next to Hime asked, having taken off her mask and revealed teal-colored crests and large, red eyes, “I like it! Sounds like a friendly place.”   
“The village isn’t much further ahead.” Stag continued as he walked past them and onto more of the pathways created by thick branches. He paused at the entrance made of leaves; “I would keep on the path if I were you. Lohrak may not be able to get in, but there are more things in the shadows surrounding the village.” With that, he continued walking, the rest of his group following him, the Cures with them, and Longa brought up the rear.   
Thinking over Stag’s warning, Hime shivered, “What could be worse than a giant snake with legs?”  
“Sn-ay-ck?” The short alien beside her sounded out the word, “You have Lohraks on Earth?”  
“Not really,” Hime shrugged, but kept her arms around herself, “They’re a lot smaller, and don’t have…legs.”   
“No legs? Well, you must be lucky—your sn-ay-cks can’t climb trees!” The alien laughed, holding her mask over her shoulder as if it weighed nothing, despite it being almost as large as her, “I’m Antwa Arry. Stag trusts me for the heavy stuff.”   
“Antwa maybe little, but she can lift as much as us.” One of the larger aliens rumbled from behind, “I’m Drone Naboon.” Recognizing him as one of the aliens that had pushed their craft off the platform and onto the vines, Hime did a small wave. Suddenly, another one of the aliens, her crest spreading out like butterfly wings from her head, appeared in between Yuko and Hime, putting a friendly arm around both of their shoulders, “Earth sounds so interesting! Grabbing each other’s hands, Lohraks with no legs…”  
“They’re called sn-ay-cks.” Antwa said from next to Hime, proud that she found that out first, and the alien nodded excitedly, “I’m Putterf Chocho, I patrol around our village. Tell me about Earth!”  
“I want to know too.” Drone added in his deep voice, “A lot of people will probably want to know back in the village.” Her crest fluttered, and Putterf nodded excitedly, “Everyone’s going to want to ask things, we’ve never had visitors from another planet!”   
“Don’t lag behind,” Longa’s voice startled all of them, and they half turned to see him behind them, arms crossed, “Or you’ll become Shadow bait…or Madowashisou’s meal.” Drone shuddered, “…Longa’s right, there will be plenty of time to talk in the village.” The big alien started to walk quickly, almost pushing them along to follow Stag and the others along the paths.   
There seemed to be no sense of time to Iona, as they followed Stag along the braches, up ladders and down ramps. The sunlight illuminated the layers of leaves, but below them was a thick shadow that was only broken by flying insects. Every so often, a member of the group would jump to another branch, running ahead or checking another direction, or pausing at the trunk of a tree to scrape off vines, or flowers similar to the ones that had pretended to be so harmless when they had first landed on Ratoniik.   
“Are…those flowers a problem?” Yuko asked when Putterf leapt to clear a cluster of them. Near her, an alien with a longer, tan crest laughed, “They’ve been climbing in for a while now—they’re not a problem if you’re grown, but hatchlings might not know any better.” They tilted their head to the side like they were considering something, “…Plus, they eat the smaller flyers around here.” They pointed at one of the larger butterflies as it lazily drifted past them, “They’re a good warning system if something like a Lohrak gets in, or if the Gusfii are stampeding again—especially the latter.” They leaned in conspiratorially, “The herds only really like Stag, and tolerate Longa. I think they’d like to squish the rest of us if we annoy them too much. That’s why Stag has a…” They trailed off and theatrically covered their mouth, “Whoops! The forest will tell you if you have to know!” Mystified, Yuko watched them walk ahead, only for Putterf land behind them soundlessly and playfully poke them in the side.   
“Don’t mind Locus.” Someone said, taking up the place Locus had left. Their crest was more like a hard shell, and their eyes were more similar to an insect’s, making their gaze slightly unnerving, “I’m Tis Kahma.” She held out her hand, mimicking what Megumi had done to Stag, but instead of shaking it when Yuko took hers, Tis squeezed her fingers and let go, “Earth sounds pretty strange—but we must be pretty strange to you, huh?”   
“That’s what makes everything interesting!” Yuko smiled brightly, “We’ll probably ask a lot of questions about the village when we get there.”   
“Ask away—if the jungle wanted to be selfish, fruit would not grow low.” Yuko nodded in understanding, and they smiled each other.   
Not looking at the aliens around her, Iona stepped up to walk beside Megumi, “Did Blue or Red tell you anything about this planet?” She asked quietly, and her friend shook her head, “No—but we can trust them.” Megumi gently took her hand, answering her unasked question, “I know it. They’re all nice people.” As it always did, her words seemed to reassure Iona, and she took a deep breath, “…Okay, I trust you.”   
“We’re almost there!” Locus called from the front, in front of a ladder that led up a hollowed out trunk, “Come on!”   
“What’s he so impatient for?” Antwa asked, not expecting an answer, “The village isn’t moving anywhere!”   
“Maybe he has to return to the Jungle soon.” Tis mused, crossing her arms, “And he wants to hear about Earth first.” There were various sounds of agreement, but the group did start moving faster, letting the Cures climb up the ladder first. A few followed Tis and Putterf’s lead and jumped to more vines, scaling them easily.   
The ladder led to another platform, which was connected to another by a small set of stairs. As Megumi climbed up, she stopped and stared at the village; huts and buildings were built on connecting platforms, and of the largest buildings were built right onto the trees. More natives curiously poked their heads out from their homes and looked up from their work at the visitors, murmuring to themselves and each other. Stag was nowhere to be seen, but Megumi supposed that he had gone ahead to get things ready. Further ahead, Locus was bouncing on his feet, “Welcome to Juuro village!” He exclaimed proudly as the rest of the Cures pulled themselves up, “Welcome, welcome!” Almost pushed forward by the rest of the group, Megumi and the others followed him to a large, clear platform in front of a building built onto the side of a tree, kept illuminated by what appeared to be glowing moss. Stag emerged from the building, expression unreadable. Iona kept her eyes on him as much as she could, and gave him a curt nod, which he returned.   
Locus had jumped ahead again, setting up seats for them and urging them to sit down, his enthusiasm making the rest of Stag’s group laugh, but Antwa hurried forward to held him, setting her mask down and lifting objects above her head. As the Cures sat down, the villagers started to crowd around them, with Stag joining the group, arms still crossed and expression composed. Suddenly, there was a clatter as Locus dropped what he was carrying; crumpling to the ground like the air had been knocked out of him. In a flash, Megumi was on her feet, pushing through the crowd to reach him, Yuko and Hime practically at her heels. Iona moved to follow, noticing from the corner of her eye that Stag’s jaw tightened, like he was restraining himself. Even more strangely, the villagers seemed unconcerned that what had happened, instead regarding the Cures’ alarm with curiosity.   
Dropping to her knees, Megumi blindly felt for a pulse, “He’s not breathing! We have to get him some help!”  
“Of course he’s not breathing.” Megumi’s head snapped up to see Antwa, who was still carrying things to arrange around the space, tone nonchalant, “He had to return to the jungle—we all do.”   
“He’s…he’s dead?” Hime’s voice had dropped to a whisper, her eyes wide.   
“Locus’ knew his life was ending.” Stag’s voice suddenly cut through, “I’ll take care of things. Continue setting things up.”  
“Sure, captain. He was your childhood friend—you knew him best.” Antwa nodded, and moved away, some of the other villagers doing the same, presumably to do what was needed for their guests. Still kneeling on the ground, Megumi stared at Locus’ still face, “…Is that it?” She asked Stag, who had crouched down on the other side of the body, “Is that it? He dies and…and no one cares?”  
“Its our way.” Stag closed his friend’s eyes, and carefully lifted the body, “I’m going to go bury him. Rest here.” He turned to leave, but in a flash of light, Iona was blocking him way, “We said we would have questions of our own for the village.” Her voice was hard, “Now we do.” Their stares battled for a moment, his pale eyes against her own dark ones, before he nodded curtly, “Fine—go to the head building,” He gestured behind with his head towards the building he had left, “I’ll return and answer them as best as I can.” Iona accepted that with a nod, and let him pass. After a moment, she went to the other girls, helping a shaken looking Hime to her feet.   
“He…he just died…and we didn’t get to tell him about Earth…” Her voice was small and tight, like she was trying not to cry, “And no one…cared…”  
“Stag did.” Yuko’s voice was just as quiet, and they moved towards the building that Stag had pointed to, “He didn’t show it but…I think he was sad too. Sad like us.”   
They entered the building, pushing aside the woven curtain that acted as a door, before letting it fall back into place, hiding them from the carefree village.   
The interior was a single, rounded room, lit up by more of the glowing plants hanging from the ceiling, with woven mats carefully folded against the wall. Along the walls were spears and more masks, like the ones Stag and the others had worn. These ones were old, the paint chipping and the wood starting to split. Only one looked like a Gusfii, another looked like a Lohrak, and the rest unidentifiable animals that the Cures supposed populated the rest of the jungle.   
“The rest of them are from the villages.” Stag’s voice made them jump, but Iona managed to hold herself back from showing it. She crossed her arms; if Stag wasn’t going to show what he was thinking, neither would she.  
“We’re connected to the Gusfii herds—that is why it’s our symbol.” His own mask had been set by the doorway, and he moved past them to retrieve the woven mats, setting them on the ground, before taking his place in front of the doorway. Iona recognized what that meant—he was between them and if they would do anything to the village, and they were against the wall if he called in more warriors. Nonetheless, she sat down after Megumi did so.   
Hime had barely gotten to her seat when whatever she had been holding back escaped, “He died! He died, and no one cared!”  
“Yes.” Stag’s voice was even, like he was answering a question about the weather, “He did die, and we went on with our lives. That is our way.”   
“But…but…” Hime struggled helplessly for a moment, “He’s gone…didn’t Antwa say you were his friend?”  
“I am.”   
“…Why did he die?” Yuko asked, “He was…perfectly fine before. He wanted us to tell him about Earth…”  
“It was his time.” Stag saw their expressions of incomprehension, and he let out a breath, “I don’t know how your people measure time. I don’t know how long your people live, but I know that my people can pass many times before a Gusfii does.” Megumi frowned, Hime mirroring her expression, but Iona felt understanding flash across her face, “…You all don’t live very long. And you all know that. Locus knew he was going to die today.” Stag nodded in silence, letting her continue, “…And everyone is used to it…”  
“He’s not gone, if you…visitors from Earth are sad about that.” Stag said, making Megumi look up in surprise, “I buried him at the base of our tree, where we honor everyone. He’s returned to the Jungle.”   
“What about you?” Iona asked after a moment of thought, “You’re the head of the village.”  
“I live a long time, for my people. Long enough to protect the village, though one day, I will return to the Jungle as well.” Again, Iona caught a flash of his jaw tightening, but then it was gone, “You can rest here until we’re ready for the evening meal. If you want to look around the village, do so, but stay to the main walkways. Do not go outside the village without a guide.” He stood quickly, and left, leaving the Cures in the quiet of the hut.


	3. Hunter's Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most insects don't live very long, in regards to things like humans.  
> Sad, isn't it?

Evening approached, and villagers hung up lanterns with glowing plants inside, while firefly-like insects darted through the air, creating their own constellations beneath the trees. Through holes in the tree cover, moonlight shone through, both strange and familiar to Iona as she stood off to the side, watching the other Cures talk with the rest of Stag’s group. Putterf’s wing-like crest fluttered as she gestured excitedly, probably asking more questions about everyday human life, while Antwa demonstrated her strength to Hime by lifting Drone over her head.   
“Not in a happy mood?” Someone asked her quietly, and Iona turned to see it was Longa, back from outside the village as his mask was still on his arm, “I thought you would be with your friends, telling about Earth.”   
“I…suppose I don’t have much to say.” He made a thoughtful noise, still studying her and Iona had the feeling he knew what she was thinking. However, he didn’t say anything more and continued walking to where the rest of the group was around the other Cures. Left alone again, Iona let out a small sigh—the idea of death being treated so carelessly weighed on all of them, but Iona felt she was the worst at hiding it, after months of worrying about her sister being captured by Phantom—or worse, she died from him. She could see the emotions tingeing Megumi’s smile, but the pink Cure seemed determined to fulfill her promise and tell the village about Earth, while Yuko was as serene as ever, carefully soothing her own distress. Hime had kept close to both of them, taking support from how they were, but Iona knew she couldn’t right now.  
“I’ll join them in a moment.” She promised herself, looking at the group, which laughed uproariously at something Yuko had said, “I just need a minute.”   
“Is Locus’ death still bothering you?” Stag’s stoic voice surprised her, although with Longa back, Iona should have guessed that Stag would have returned as well from their patrol through the trees.   
“As we said, its an Earth thing.” Perhaps she was being to cold to their host, but remembering Stag’s emotionless face as he carried Locus’ body away for burial made her mind snarl in anger.   
“And you are not in the group, explaining this ‘Earth thing’?” Iona could have sworn his voice turned wry for a moment, but when she glanced at him, Stag’s face was as neutral as it had been. “I…don’t think it would work out.” She answered shortly, “No one would understand but us. Its how you all are, isn’t it?”   
He made a soft click of affirmation, before walking past her and leaning his mask on the entrance to his hut, “Follow me, then.” She looked at him curiously, but he didn’t look back, walking to another one of the village’s exit, away from the lit center of the village, with its crowd and happy chattering around the other Cures. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she followed him, stepping out onto the shadowed pathways made of branches, the main road lit up by more of the lanterns.   
Stag was ahead of her, and he suddenly jumped to a smaller path, almost unseen through the clusters of ferns and flowers growing on it, before scaling a trunk and disappearing into the tree canopy. With only a moment of thought, Iona leapt to follow him again, activating her wings and flying close to the tree, the space around her illuminated by the soft purple light from her Precure powers.   
The trunk led her up, through layers of leaves and branches above the village, until she was hovering at the very top. Seated and leaning his back on the tree’s trunk, was Stag, staring into the horizon like he could understand something behind the full moon that she could not. When her feet touched the branch, he glanced at her, and if her wings surprised him, he said nothing.  
“Is there something you wanted to tell me?”  
“I am going to die very soon.” Despite tensing herself for anything he could have said, Iona felt herself freeze in shock, “You’re going to return to the jungle?”  
“Yes. Most likely any day now.” He let out a small breath, but didn’t look up at her, “I do not know when, unlike the other villagers. Only that its soon.”  
“…Why are you telling me this?” She asked after a moment of silence, crossing her arms across her chest, “Why are you,” She squinted for a moment, before realization hit her, “…You’re scared. You’re scared of dying.”   
“I am. I’m the only one in Juuro village who is scared of returning to the jungle. More than that…” He pulled his knees loosely up to his chest, resting his arms on top of them so he could let his forehead drop, “…I do not want to.”  
“But you said, in the hut, that Ratoniik—your people, death is…”  
“Death is another part of the cycle that simply returns us to the jungle from which we came.” He sounded like he was reciting something from memory, “That is true.”  
“What makes it different for you?”   
Stag was quiet, and Iona was almost afraid that he would stop talking, so she carefully sat next to him, her wings disappearing in small bursts of light.   
“I live a long time, for my people.” His answer was so quiet, Iona was almost afraid that she had missed it, “Locus was not the first friend I’ve seen return to the jungle before me. I have seen friends fall prey to the jungle’s predators, disappear into the uncharted parts of Ratoniik…”  
“You became the head of the village to protect everyone. So they could live their lives in peace.” He nodded slowly, not acknowledging how close she was to him now, “And you did, though. Everyone is living in peace in Juuro.” Iona went on, “They’re all happy.”  
“I know. But I still don’t want to die…I want to live longer; I want to protect my village longer. I—I will regret not being able to be there for my village.” His eyes had closed, and he only jerked his head up when Iona softly put her hand on his shoulder, “It’s alright.”  
“No, its not. I shouldn’t feel like this.” He insisted, turning his head away from her, “Ratoniik embraces the jungle. I run from it.”   
“There’s never anything wrong with wanting to protect the ones you love.” She said, firmly but gently, “But you don’t have to shoulder everything about the village by yourself. Longa, Antwa, Putterf…they can all help you.” Inside her head, Iona knew what it was like to try and work alone, and she knew that it was frustrating and she had only gotten so far fighting the Phantom Empire before she teamed up with Megumi and the other girls.   
Stag had fallen quiet again, but his posture slowly relaxed, until he lifted his head to look back up at Ratoniik’s moon, “…I’m still afraid.” He admittedly slowly, “I still don’t want to die.”   
“It’s alright…” Iona didn’t know what else she could say, but kept her comforting hand on his shoulder, “It’s alright…” 

The piercing sound of a horn made Stag suddenly jump to his feet, searching the trees below. A second behind him, Iona was on her feet, “What was that?”  
“The Gusfii herds—its their warning call. Something got into the forest around the village.” He jumped without preamble, grabbing onto a vine to swing down, and Iona dived to follow, unfurling her wings to fly alongside him, “I thought things couldn’t get in here.”  
“Most things can’t, and the Gusfii herds deter the rest.” Stag landed on a branch and in the same movement took off, continuing to travel through the air as he grabbed another vine, “There’s nothing we can do about the Shadows and Madowashisou in the lower levels, but Lohrak will try to attack villages if given the chance, and they’re not the only predators in the jungle around us.”   
Letting go, he dived before landing and rolling back on the village’s platform. Iona dropped beside him as he stood, the other warriors of the village already alert and at attention, “Anything from your trip wires, Taran?” The warrior with a spider-like helm shook their head, “Nothing yet, either means it isn’t far inside, or its something worse than your usual Lohrak.” Stag nodded, and took his mask when Longa offered it to him, “Split into groups, don’t let anyone go out alone. Sweep through the trees, don’t let anything slip through. Be careful of the Madowashisou grove and the Shadow’s territory, we don’t need more trouble in one night.” The rest of the villagers nodded, hurrying off, some strapping on armor and masks, while others dragged things into their huts and pulled blinds over the windows, hiding the illumination from lanterns. He was already walking away when Megumi ran after him, picking up a spear from where he had put it by the head hut, “Stag! Is there something we can do to help?” The head of the village turned to look at them, expression determined and showing no trace of the fear he had admitted to Iona in the treetops, “You don’t know about the jungle,” He said firmly, “Stay in the village, I don’t want you all to be hurt for our sakes.”   
“But—we can’t do that!” Hime protested, “If its dangerous to everyone, we want to help protect the village!” At her words, he appraised them for a minute, pale eyes studying each of their faces, “…Fine. Each of you go with a patrol—and stay close to them. Make use of your wings if you need to keep up.” Finished speaking, he returned to strapping more armor into his limbs, leaving the Cures to deal with it themselves. A few of the other warriors jogged over, and Antwa latched onto Hime’s land insistently, “You can come with my patrol!”  
“Were you listening?”  
“Maybe.” Putterf answered from behind the shorter alien, “Will you?” Hime cast a look at Megumi, who gave her an encouraging smile, “We’re not fighting Choiarks on Earth—its probably best if we split up and listen to them.”  
“Good idea.” Tis’ voice surprised them, and she smirked, “Cure Honey, you can follow me, if you want.” The yellow Cure nodded, before giving her friends an encouraging smile, “It’s going to be fine!” Before following the insect-like warrior to where her patrol was getting ready, and Antwa almost dragged Putterf and Hime away. Megumi looked at Iona, “It’s alright…right? To split up?”  
“We’re not really splitting up.” Iona assured her, “But we are unfamiliar with the jungle and what lives in it. Its probably best to have as many guides as possible.” Megumi nodded thoughtfully, “…I’m going to see if another patrol needs help. What about you, Fortune?”  
“I’m going to see if Stag will let me into his patrol. I think he knows more about what could be attacking through the Gusfii herds.” They gave each other one last smile and then walked towards the groups, Longa giving Megumi a nod when she approached before he put on his mask.   
When Iona approached Stag, glanced at her, before returning to wiping streaks of the glowing plants along his armor, something the other warriors were mimicking, “Lightvine paint?” He offered her the glowing bowl, and she raised an eyebrow, “Won’t whatever it is see you coming?”  
“It’s supposed to.” After a moment of studying the paint in the bowl, she dipped two fingers in and carefully wrote her sister’s name down one arm. The warrior called Taran made an appreciative noise, “What does it say?”  
“Its my sister’s name. She—she gives me a lot of strength.” Iona answered, slightly awkward, but the rest of the small patrol looked impressed, until Stag stood up and they snapped to attention.   
“We’ll take the west area and go by the paths along the wall near the herds.” Stag told them, starting to put his mask on, “Hopefully the herds were spooked by a Nui-Jaga, but you can never be too sure.” The others pulled on their masks as well and headed out alongside him, and Iona followed them. 

A contrast to how it had been when she had been led to the village before, the trees were almost eerily quiet, the sound of their feet as they leapt from tree to tree echoing around them. It was as if the forest was holding its breath, and Iona could only feel her apprehension rise when they encountered nothing out of the ordinary on their way to the edge of the village’s territory. Stag landed and paused on one of the entrances created by a knothole in the massive tree the village rested in, and the rest of the patrol landed on the platform built onto it, Taran still listening for the sounds of his trip wires being set off, Drone landing heavily behind them, and a female warrior Iona had only seen in passing named Hornet stopping soundlessly near Stag. She busied herself with inspecting the sides of the tree itself, and Iona left herself stop next to Drone, his mask bobbed as he gave her a nod, but said nothing.   
In the front, Stag cocked his head to the side, listening to the herd of Gusfii moving restlessly outside of the barrier, “…we have to go back.”  
“Back?” Taran asked, shocked, “What do you mean, we didn’t see anything leaving the village!”   
“Of course we didn’t!” Hornet snapped, further along the platform and next to another knothole entrance, “It’s a Muaka!” Her voice was colored by alarm, and she pointed at a three long scratches made by some sort of creature’s claws. Next to her, Drone swore under his breath, “What do we do, Stag?”  
“Get back to the village,” Stag ordered, already moving to go further into the trees, “I’m going to go after it.”  
“Alone? You’ve lost your mind!” Taran protested, “Just one doesn’t stand a chance against a Muaka! A whole patrol doesn’t!”  
“Only Longa and I have Souls.” Stag cut him off, “Meet up with the others and go back to the village to regroup.”  
“Stag, you can’t be serious!” Hornet joined Taran, “You don’t hunt Muaka!”  
“I will if I have to do it to keep the village safe.” His voice left no more room for arguments, “Go now!” Reluctantly, they did, and it was only when the sounds of them leaving through the trees faded that he turned to look at Iona, “Aren’t you going with them?”  
“What about you? Whatever special power you have, is it enough while you’re alone?” Her gaze was level, and she could sense a silent battle of wills on Stag’s part, remembering their hushed talk in the treetops before the alarm sounded. Finally, he nodded, curtly, “Then follow me.” Before he leapt in another direction into the trees, and Iona activated her wings to follow, maneuvering around trunks and branches while Stag swung from vine to vine.  
“…What is a Muaka?”  
“One of the few jungle predators that can hunt Gusfii. They usually stay in the dark parts of the jungle, but sometimes they’ll look at the villages for easy prey.”   
“Its that dangerous?”  
“Even more so—you don’t hunt Muaka, you make yourself a target and hope you’re ready when it attacks.”   
He paused an a branch to hit the bottom of his spear on the trunk of a tree, letting the noise reverberate around them, and then continued moving.  
“…And what is a Soul?” Iona asked after twisting to avoid a cluster of vines, and Stag grunted, “The spirit of the jungle chooses warriors and gives them powers to protect their village.”   
“And you have it?”  
“Yes.” They stopped at a clearing that had once been a tree, but was now a stump, mutely glowing mushrooms and fungi sprouting off of its sides.   
“Will it protect you?”  
“We’ll see.”   
The sound of wood shattering made them both jump back as what appeared to be a part of the shadows around them landed with a crash in front of them with a snarl.   
“That would be our Muaka.” Stag said grimly, falling into a fighting stance and letting out a series of sharp clicks.   
Now that Iona could see what they were fighting, she could see why its elicited such alarm; the Muaka wasn’t as big as a Gusfii, but it was big enough to tower over both of them, and resembled one of the big cats on earth. It roared, and suddenly swiped with one paw, claws almost as long as Iona’s arm extended.   
Both of them dodged, Stag rolling to the side, and springing to his feet before charging, while Iona pulled herself up into the air, avoiding another slash to fly close to its muzzle, turning hard in the air as it snapped its jaws, attempting to catch what was annoying it.   
Pulling her hand back, Iona felt her power concentrate there, and flew above the Muaka, before suddenly dropping, slamming her fist onto the top of its head.  
The resulting roar echoed around the clearing, shaking the plants around them as it thrashed, and long tail whipping around it as it furiously redoubled its efforts to hit her. Iona found herself twisting around it, trying to avoid almost every part of the predator’s body as it followed her.   
A screech made it snap its head up, before Stag swung down from the trees surrounding them, pulling lengths of vines behind him and dropping them onto the Muaka, letting it tangle itself up as it struggled to follow both of their movements. Seeing a chance while its was distracted, Iona flung herself away from it, flying across the clearing and landing on one of the tree trunks at the other end, before launching herself back at the snarling animal.  
However, the Muaka’s eyes gleamed with fury, and its massive paw suddenly swung, vicious and fast despite the vines tangling up around them. Stag yelled something, but it was lost to Iona as it hit her, the impact making the air leave her lungs and she managed a gasp before smashing into the ground.   
Struggling to push herself up on her hands, Iona coughed, her vision swimming and the blood pounding in her ears, the shape of the Muaka hissed down at her, sharp teeth flashing. Iona managed a weak sort of growl back at it, when something dropped down to stand in front of her, and it took a moment for her eyes to recognize it as Stag.   
But in a blaze of light, it wasn’t just Stag, there was a full-grown Gusfii with him, somehow in the space place as him, as if they were one and the same. The Muaka roared, shaken by the unexpected turn of events, and recognized that an angry Gusfii was a very different fight from the easy prey of attacking a village. It attempted to back away, sharp claws scoring the rotting wood of the stump, the vines tangled around its body making it struggle. The Gusfii and Stag bellowed at it, before it lowered its crown of horns and charged at the Muaka, slamming into it and forcing it off the platform.   
With a wail, the Muaka tried to claw back up, but the Gusfii rebuked it, swinging its antlers again until the Muaka lost its courage and hissed one last time before it started to run, crashing through branches as it tried to escape from the other animal. The shrieks that sounded in the distance said that it had met the herd of Gusfii outside the forest.  
In another flash of light, the Gusfii in front of her was gone, and Stag was left in its place, breathing heavily. After moment, he turned and helped her up, his mask dropping to the ground. Iona noticed his mask now had a crack running through it, splitting the image of a Gusfii in two.   
“Are…are you alright?”  
“I-I’m fine…I just need to get my bearings…” When her vision stopped moving and her head felt like it wasn’t spinning she looked at her again, “So that was a Soul.”  
“Yes.” He sounded exhausted, “That was.” Now that the danger had past they sat down thankfully at the edge of the clearing to catch their breath. It was a while before Stag spoke again, “You…you’re a good fighter.”   
“Thank you…so are you.”   
“Is this…is this what ‘Precure’ do on Earth?” He asked after a moment, “Fight off danger around your villages?”  
“Sort of—there’s a lot of Precure, but there was a lot of danger on Earth as well.” Stag made a small, interested sound, and she glanced at him to see his mouth turn into a small smile, “I would like to hear about it sometime.”  
“When we get back to the village,” Iona promised, “I’ll tell about the Precure on Earth.” He nodded slowly, eyes fluttering closed for a second, “I…I would also like to hear…about you. Your time as a warrior.” He added awkwardly, “If you do not mind.”   
Iona could feel her face heat up, even though she valiantly tried to fight it down, “Of course, that—that would be fine.” A sort of awkward quiet fell around them and neither looked at each other, despite sitting so close.   
Iona squeaked embarrassingly high when she felt him slump against her shoulder, and she quickly looked at him worriedly, “Stag? Are you okay?”  
“Summoning my soul…took more energy than I remember. I apologize for this…” He tried to pull himself back up but Iona put an arm around him, “Its fine, you can rest for a minute.” Letting out a breath, Stag relaxed slightly, “…I would like to visit Earth.” His voice was quieter, “I would like to see those things they talked about with my own eyes. The bioluminescent plants around them cast a soft light on them, making the lightvine paint on his armor glow weakly in response. “I’d be happy to show you Earth.”  
When he didn’t answer but fell further against her shoulder, she looked down at him alarmed, “Stag?” His breathing had become light and his eyes flicked open, before slowly drifting closed, “I’m sorry, Fortune…I don’t think I’ll be able to listen to your story.”  
“Stag? What are you…” Her eyes widened as his words’ meaning sunk in, “…Oh no…Oh no, you’re dying.” He nodded, “Seems like…summoning my Soul used the last of my energy.” Carefully, Iona shifted so she could hold him more comfortably, resting him on her lap. She was quiet, before suddenly speaking again.  
“Iona. My name’s Iona.” She said softly, “Cure Fortune is my Pretty Cure title, but my real name is Iona.” He made a small sound to let her know he had heard her, pale eyes almost closed, and she let out a small breath, before leaning down and lightly touching her forehead to his crested one, “You…you can return to the jungle now. It’s alright.”


End file.
